About

Sarah Larson is an Associate Professor whose research centers on understanding the fundamental drivers of climate variability, predictability, and anthropogenically forced trends. She employs state-of-the-art climate models to address these topics, with a specialization in developing novel model methodologies using the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Her research group trains students to run CESM, conduct experiments by engaging directly with the model code, and critically interpret the results. Larson earned her Bachelor's degree in Meteorology from the University of South Alabama and completed her Ph.D. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Following her doctoral studies, she held a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Research topics

• Geology
• Environmental science
• Climatology
• Geography
• Meteorology
• Oceanography
• Atmospheric sciences

Selected publications

• Trial in Progress: QUINTESSENTIAL-2—a phase 3 Study of Arlocabtagene Autoleucel Versus Standard of Care in Adult Patients with Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM) Exposed to Lenalidomide

  Transplantation and Cellular Therapy · 2026-02-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Efficacy and safety of elranatamab in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: A US subgroup analysis from MagnetisMM‐3

  Cancer · 2026-05-20

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Elranatamab, approved for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, demonstrated deep, durable responses and manageable safety in patients without prior B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed therapy (BCMA-naive) in MagnetisMM-3 (NCT04649359). This post hoc analysis evaluated efficacy and safety in the US subgroup. METHODS: Following step-up dosing, patients received 28-day cycles of elranatamab 76 mg once weekly. After ≥6 cycles, patients with partial response or better persisting for ≥2 months transitioned to every 2 weeks, then to every 4 weeks after ≥6 every-2-week cycles. This analysis included all US-enrolled BCMA-naive patients who received ≥1 elranatamab dose. RESULTS: Of the 123 evaluable patients, 47 were enrolled in the United States (38.2%). At a median follow-up of 39.6 months, the objective response rate was 66.0% (95% CI, 50.7-79.1); 42.6% (95% CI, 28.3-57.8) achieved complete response or better. Median (95% CI) duration of response, progression-free survival, and overall survival were 40.8 (24.0-not estimable [NE]), 27.3 (4.3-NE), and 43.6 (14.9-NE) months, respectively. Common (≥60%) treatment-emergent adverse events (any grade; grade 3/4) included infections (70.2%; 42.6%), fatigue (61.7%; 8.5%), and cytokine release syndrome (61.7%; 0%). Twenty-two patients switched from once weekly to every-2-week dosing, then eight switched from every-2-week to every-4-week dosing. Of 18 responders who switched from once weekly to every-2-week dosing and eight responders who further reduced to every 4 weeks, 77.8% and 87.5%, respectively, maintained or improved their response for ≥6 months thereafter. CONCLUSION: Elranatamab demonstrated durable responses and manageable safety in the heavily pretreated US subgroup, consistent with the overall MagnetisMM-3 BCMA-naive population.

  PublisherDOI

• Trial in Progress: QUINTESSENTIAL—a Phase 2 study of Arlocabtagene Autoleucel (arlo-cel) in Patients with relapsed/refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM)

  Transplantation and Cellular Therapy · 2026-02-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Cardiotoxicity of T cell immunotherapies

  Nature Reviews Cardiology · 2026-02-23

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Internal Wind Driven Ocean Circulation Variability Delays the Time of Emergence of Externally Forced Sea Surface Temperature Trends

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2025-04-09 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract In parts of the global ocean, large internal variability continues to mask the detection of externally forced sea surface temperature (SST) trends in observations and climate models. Such regions of large internal variability are typically where wind driven ocean dynamical processes contribute heavily to SST variability. Through analysis of two climate model ensembles, we find that internal wind driven ocean circulation variability delays the time of emergence of SST signals nearly everywhere, but the delay is longest (>10 years) in dynamically active regions like the tropical oceans. We also find that internal wind driven ocean circulation variability is the dominant contributor to changes in the amplitude of internal SST variability over the historical period. Results suggest that inter‐model differences in wind driven SST variability may be a key contributor to inter‐model differences in the time of emergence of externally forced SST signals in climate change scenarios.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Fingerprints of AMOC Decline Are Sensitive to External and Mechanistic Forcing

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2025-06-19 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in past, present, and future climate, and there is substantial interest in using sea surface temperature (SST) as a fingerprint of past AMOC strength. Using a hierarchy of climate model ensembles, we find that the decline in AMOC, and its SST fingerprint within the North Atlantic warming hole region, are sensitive to external forcing level and wind driven ocean forcing. Once external forcing reaches a level at which sea ice melt increases the Labrador Sea vertical salinity gradient, localized cooling and resulting expansion of the sea ice edge decrease vertical mechanical stirring. Under greenhouse gas only forcing, this mechanism plays a large role and under SSP3.70 forcing, it plays a relatively minor role due to larger buoyancy forcing. This implies that an AMOC fingerprint developed from one simulation or external forcing level cannot be applied to other scenarios.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Critical Need for Hindcast Infrastructure in Climate Science and Sectoral Applications

  Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 2025-11-07

  article

  Abstract Forecasting the impacts of climate extremes is challenging, but critical to a range of sectors, including agriculture, water management, public health and safety, infrastructure, energy, national defense, and ecology. Foundational to these forecasts are hindcast model archives, which are routinely used for applications produced for the private sector and agencies, including NASA, NOAA, US Department of State, and the US Department of Defense. Forecast and hindcast archives underpin scientific inquiry funded by these agencies, particularly in relation to forecasting weather and climate extremes, as well as the US NSF. In this article, we catalog the sector-specific decision support systems that depend upon hindcast archives and survey the current state of hindcast archive infrastructure. We find that despite the tremendous amount of investment and dependent decision support systems, the United States hindcast archive is relatively fragile and underfunded, especially when compared with the Copernicus system in Europe. We conclude with recommendations for improving hindcast archive infrastructure to support routine sector-specific applications and improve resilience to climate extremes.

  PublisherDOI

• A Simplified-Physics Atmosphere General Circulation Model for Idealized Climate Dynamics Studies

  Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 2025-08-22 · 1 citations

  article

  Abstract Simplified global atmospheric general circulation models are important tools for understanding basic climate dynamics and diagnosing more complete modeling systems. We have developed a simple, single-model framework with nonlinear primitive equations that can be run via an interactive Python Jupyter notebook. This framework was developed as an educational tool for students to experiment with the model, as it is straightforward to impose forcing, postprocess data, and visualize results in one notebook. However, experienced scientists can also use the model for original research. We have implemented three distinct innovations. First, the underlying dynamic core is entirely based in Python (as opposed to FORTRAN with a Python wrapper), making the model more accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students. The model can easily be run on a laptop without concerns such as compiler options or operating systems, thus removing common technical barriers to access. Second, the background state can be specified within the same framework as “strong,” where the model equations have been modified into an anomaly model, or “weak,” where the original full-field model is relaxed to the background state. Third, “forcing” is described in terms of prescribed latent heat release in the troposphere, the topography, and the background state. Forcing and resolution changes are easily implemented using one preprocessing script that supports a wide range of hypothesis-driven experimentation options. This paper includes an exploration of the model’s mean state, some sensitivity experiments, and an example diagnosis of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections. Significance Statement Simplified atmospheric computer models are important tools for basic understanding of how the climate system works. We have developed a simple modeling framework that was developed as an educational tool for students to design and implement hypothesis-testing experiments and, importantly, is entirely written as a Python Jupyter notebook so that it is easily accessible to students and others new to modeling. However, the model can also be used by experienced scientists for original research. This manuscript describes the modeling framework, including how to obtain the model and some examples of the model’s capabilities.

  PublisherDOI

• Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation Changes Can Amplify Future Cooling of the North Atlantic Warming Hole

  Journal of Climate · 2025-04-10 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The North Atlantic warming hole is an area of relative cooling in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre. Observations and models have suggested numerous causes of the warming hole, including a role for wind-driven ocean circulation changes. We investigate the role of wind-driven ocean circulation changes on the development and projected future of the North Atlantic warming hole by comparing two ensembles within the Community Earth System Model, version 2 (CESM2). One ensemble includes wind-driven ocean circulation changes, while the other does not. The difference between the ensemble means isolates the role of wind-driven ocean circulation changes on the externally forced North Atlantic warming hole. We find that wind-driven ocean circulation changes do not alter the timing of the formation of an externally forced warming hole. However, anthropogenic changes to the near-surface winds lead to enhanced upwelling near Greenland, and wind stress changes enable a positive feedback loop that relies on changes to mechanical stirring. These mechanisms amplify the cooling in the high latitude North Atlantic and lead to increased sea level pressure and reduced precipitation near the southern tip of Greenland. Thus, changes to wind-driven ocean circulation are a crucial component of future changes in North Atlantic climate. Improved understanding of ocean–atmosphere coupling in this region will improve projections of sea surface temperatures and associated atmospheric impacts. Significance Statement The purpose of this study is to quantify the role that changes to the wind-driven component of ocean circulation have on future sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre region. This region has warmed less than the global average, often referred to as a “warming hole.” We use a targeted climate model experiment to demonstrate that wind-driven ocean circulation changes do not cause the modeled North Atlantic warming hole. However, wind-driven ocean circulation changes alter the warming hole beginning in 2040. This demonstrates that monitoring and understanding changes to the surface winds and ocean currents in the North Atlantic is important for understanding future climate changes in the region.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Summer Westerly Wind Intensification Weakens Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Under Global Warming

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2024-07-25 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Since the 1950s, observations and climate models show an amplification of sea surface temperature (SST) seasonal cycle in response to global warming over most of the global oceans except for the Southern Ocean (SO), however the cause remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed observations, ocean reanalysis, and a set of historical and abruptly quadrupled CO 2 simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 archive and found that the weakened SST seasonal cycle over the SO could be mainly attributed to the intensification of summertime westerly winds. Under the historical warming, the intensification of summertime westerly winds over the SO effectively deepens ocean mixed layer and damps surface warming, but this effect is considerably weaker in winter, thus weakening the SST seasonal cycle. This wind‐driven mechanism is further supported by our targeted coupled model experiments with the wind intensification effects being removed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Mechanisms of Intrinsic and Anthropogenically Forced Climate Variations

  NSF · $644k · 2020–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Katinka Bellomo

  Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

  38 shared

• Jost von Hardenberg

  34 shared

• Roberta D’Agostino

  National Research Council

  25 shared

• Virna Meccia

  National Research Council

  18 shared

• Federico Fabiano

  18 shared

• Ben P. Kirtman

  University of Miami

  17 shared

• Amy Clement

  University of Miami

  16 shared

• Kay McMonigal

  North Carolina State University

  15 shared

Labs

• Climate Modeling & Predictability at NC StatePI

Education

• Ph.D. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography

  University of Miami

  2016

• B.S. in Meteorology

  University of South Alabama

  2011